Learning New Skills

Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers!!

I've been learning a new skill, making chainmaille jewelry. Oh boy, it is challenging! But the rewards are so nice and somehow almost addictively satisfying. I'm not sure exactly why. Maybe the puzzle-solving that is involved in order to figure out how to put these things together. Maybe just that the results are so beautiful. Whatever it is, I feel myself being drawn in a little more with each piece I complete!

Of course my 'maille' is not going to look quite like the pieces that other people make. I love the beautifully polished and perfect pieces out there. The chainmaillers I've met do incredible work!

But my pieces are something you would dig out of an ancient ruins, so I use dark annealed steel in a heavy gauge. This is rugged stuff. It's hard on the hands because it is thick and stiff. It polishes to a nice pewter color, with a nice dull sheen. The ends of the links are never going to be perfectly smooth and perfectly seamed together just because of the nature of this wire. I like that rugged look so it suits me perfectly.

Here are the pieces I've made so far. I'd love to hear feedback! Always feel free to leave comments!!

A bit of European 4-1 in this necklace

Spiral Bracelet


A 'unit' of Scherzo in the first pair of earrings.


The second pair is just links, my way.

My variation of Helm.